RFID tagged to bear fruit in productivity stakes

28.07.2006
WF Montague Cold Storage in Australia will use RFID-enabled wristbands to monitor the productivity of workers in a newly built preparation area.

Monitoring will begin in November this year, the start of the stone fruit picking season.

Montague Cold Storage is the processing arm of Montague Fresh Orchards based in Victoria and the New South Wales Snowy Mountains.

The company conducted a pilot trial with 12 employees last season using the RFID-enabled tracking system.

When the system is live it will analyze the activity of each worker assessing performance levels, and identifying bottlenecks in the supply chain.

While the goal is increased productivity and efficiency, the company said the tags will not be used to monitor the number of breaks taken by staff in any given shift.